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Magic
'Magic' in this world comes together by the right combination of eyesight, intelligent interpretation, and a tenacity for architecture. Magic is not some floofy thing you conjure from air, but the ability - with mechanically or genetically enhanced eyesight - to see on a molecular level, followed by the ability to rearrange molecules to fit your purpose. It takes many long years of study - in many cases, lifetimes - to be able to perform more than the simplest magics. The Basics Magic is not a product of dragons or unicorns, wizards or warlocks. Magic is not some vague, toss-about concept of what happens when you think hard and wave a hand. No, on the contrary, magic is quite scientifically explicable. Magic works by zooming in on the atomic level, breaking apart molecules, and rearranging them to create new ones. Through this sort of magic, many things are possible: perpetual energy, for one thing. A snazzier hairdo, for another. Your abilities depend greatly upon your level of study. 'Requirements' Before one can even consider the practice of magic, one must meet a few necessary qualifications. To begin with, the future practitioner must have a specialized form of super-microscopic eyesight known as Duscopic Lensing. Duscopic Lensing allows a person to focus in on a particular area at the atomic level, or focus out to view the world from a normal perspective. Probability of being born with Duscopic Lensing varies by species; almost all gryphons are born with this ability, whereas less than half of humans possess it, and less than one fifth of hertasi. If one does not possess Duscopic Lensing from birth, it can be purchased from your local mechanic for a small fortune. The second item one must acquire before practicing magic is a set of pincers. No, not like a crab. Pincers, at the beginner's level, are essentially an elongated pair of tweezers, which grow thinner towards the tip. They allow someone in possession of Duscopic Lensing to pick apart a molecule and rearrange the atoms into the new desired element. At higher levels of practice, it's not uncommon to buy a set of finger pincers, which wrap around each finger and extend like fingernails, for long term use, or simply to have a set of pincers embedded permanently into your fingers. Unless, of course, you happen to be a gryphon, who have permanent pincers from birth in the form of elongated talons. Levels of Study To truly understand any form of magic takes years of study: memorization of tables, an understanding of the makeup of an atom and of each element, an understanding of which molecules combine to produce which results. Some types of magic can take a lifetime to master, if they're ever mastered at all. Some can be perfected in a week. Because of the widely varied abilities of mages at different stages in life, they are generally classified into these categories: 'Beginner' A beginner is someone who has been practicing for less than ten years. Depending on the exact amount of years in study, a beginner may or may not have found his forte: some claim proficiency in some areas, while they are decidedly hopeless in others. The mark of the beginner mage is the presence of The Mage's Book of ElementsThe Mage's Book of Elements and Compounds: the all-encompassing manual teaching basic understanding of atoms, elements, and molecules as a whole, and step-by-step instructions on how and why to combine atoms to create any element. 'Adept' An adept is a mage who has been practicing for more than ten years and has discovered his own strengths and weaknesses. Often adepts focus in one or two strong areas to perfect (for maximum profit gain, of course) before moving on to addressing his weak points, but this is not always the case. Once reaching the level of adept, it can take anywhere from ten years to two lifetimes to reach the level of archmage; all is dependent on the person in question. 'Archmage' An archmage is someone who has mastered one or more form of magic. Archmages are well paid for their services, and sought after by beginners and adepts alike as teachers in their field. It is possible to be one rank in one area of study, and another rank in another area of study. If this is the case, classify your character as his or her highest area of study. For example, if your character were an adept in creation of energy but a beginner in formation of metals and metalworking, he or she would be considered an adept overall. Limitations of Magic Like anything, magic has rules. The following are limitations of magic: Magic must be physical; in order for magic to occur, the user must be able to physically touch the atoms needed. E.g., it is possible to generate a fireball in the palm of your hand by physically gathering oxygen molecules from the air particles around you and exciting them manually, but it is not possible to glare threateningly at the building across the street and cause it to burst into flame. You must touch and move molecules with your pincers to have an effect. Along the same lines, magic cannot be mental. Magic cannot make things levitate, make someone think they're seeing something which is not there, or anything otherwise classified as an illusion or psychic practice. Those are separate fields entirely, and just like on Earth, are mostly hoaxes. It should also be noted that magic takes time to work. Small things may be done on the fly, such as the common occupation of airgoing mages of picking out hydrogen and oxygen molecules as they fly and combining them to create water. However, it takes a great deal of time to collect enough water to be useful. Larger, more complicated processes like the forging of metals will often span over a period of months or sometimes years, depending on the amount and the complexity of molecules to be gathered and manipulated.